How to Use a Receiving Blanket in 10 Ways

The following post was sponsored by Munchkin and their new Swaddle Angel Collection . Thanks, Munchkin!

Last week my entire family gathered around the TV set, sprawled out across wicker furniture to watch "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". On cable. Complete with commercial breaks.  I don't even know how it happened but suddenly, there we were, at 10:30something, completely charmed by Kate, Matthew and all of their crazy girl-meets-guy shenanigans.

Anyway, it got me thinking about this post because it's been well over a year since we were swaddling our babies and/or using burp cloths. But this post is about both. So... just pretend I'm Kate Hudson for a minute and I'm typing this from an office in NYC with all my girlfriends. Except instead of wearing circa 2002 banana clips we're wearing receiving blankets.

In our hair.

As scarves.

Anyway, Munchkin sent me their new line of luxurious bamboo blankets, swaddle blankets and burp cloths and I went a little nuts with the receiving blankets because they are kind of beyond amazing and totally workable for those of us, like me, who are no longer expecting infants. (Which makes me want to cry a lot and sigh a lot all at once. I mean Revi pooped on the potty yesterday. She's not even two! She's like a potty training prodigy or something I mean really. Who does that? Who poops on the potty before they're three? None of my kids... ever... except for her... yesterday. Okay so it was kind of a fluke, long story but still. STILL!)

How to Use a Receiving Blanket in 10 Ways

(Not including swaddling.) 

1. Nursing Cover - These are actually MADE with nursing in mind so I'm kind of cheating by listing this first. (The bamboo makes them soft and super cuddly and the extra square of fabric makes nursing more discreet.) I used my swaddling blankets to pump in the NICU as well as nurse Fable for thirteen months. Here I am pretending to be nursing an invisible baby in the mirror. Kind of weird. Also, hi, Fable! (ED: It's summer vacation so children will be photobombing pretty much every picture in this post.)

Munchkin Swaddle Angel in X-Batik

2. Burp Cloth - This is pretty obvious. Or maybe it isn't. When Archer was born I had no idea that baby items served more than one use so I bought lap pads. Yes, lap pads. Because "lap pads" and "burp cloths" were two different products so naturally I needed both. It took me approximately five seconds before I realized that a burp cloth and a lap pad were the same thing. Hi, I'm new here, I said to myself.

I am no longer new here, however. I am now old and when Bo and Revi were born I stocked up on receiving blankets knowing I'd use them for all of the above.

Meanwhile burp cloths are being used as receiving blankets for dolls?

Good call. 

Bamboo burp cloth in morning floral print

3. Changing pad/changing pad cover - Sure, there are changing pad covers but those are expensive and you'll need several back-ups for when your baby pees mid-change and/or has a poop explosion situation. I like to fold a receiving blanket and put it on top of the changing pad cover so when there is a little spillage, I don't have to constantly change the pad cover... I also keep one in my diaper bag for when I have to change diapers in public. Fold a receiving blanket a few times and BAM. Soft, cozy, large enough for a toddler's entire body to lie down on the end.

4. Scarf- I used to do this all the time with the solid white blankets but THESE? These actually look more scarf like than they do blanket like. (You can even tie two together and get an even WARMER more luxurious scarf.) Which is what I did, here with the "diamond" and "boomerang" print blankets.

(These also work for children, FYI... In fact, throw a few receiving blankets in your kids' costume drawer and revel in the amazingness.)

5. Napping Cover - I don't know why this is 5th on the list because it should have been #2. Second to nursing covers the receiving blankets come MOST in handy during afternoon strolls when the sun is bright and the stroller shade doesn't quite cut it. (We wouldn't have survived Boston without our "napping fort". Even if the longest nap was thirty minutes.)

6. Picnic Blanket - This particular picnic is invisible but you get the point.

7. Baby Doll Accessories - When the box of receiving blankets came in the mail and Fable saw the floral set... yeah, that was it. And now she has three napping babies in a shopping cart and shhhhhh, they are alllllll asleep, you guys. They are going to sleep for several hours. (Revi pulled the blanket off two seconds after I took this photo and WOKE UP ALL THE BABIES HOW COULD YOU, MOMMMMM!!!!!)

ED: All of the old baby accessories go straight to Fable for her to play with her baby dolls. It's actually kind of a relief because I don't have to get rid of ALL the baby things. I can give certain bottles and blankies to Fable who will then give them a new life with her large family of dolls. 

swaddle angel in kaleidoscope 

8. Hair towel - These are so cozy, you can actually wear them to bed. I sleep in hair towels sometimes because I only shower at night (cannot sleep otherwise) and I hate a wet pillow. BAM, what's up.

9. Apron - This is something I just figured out when trying to find a tenth way for this list. Full disclosure, I've never worn an apron before because they make me feel uncomfortable and I honestly don't care if I get food all over myself. I'm usually covered in all sorts of craziness and that's just part of the job that is existence. However. This is kind of a cute alternative for walking around with a wet crotch after doing dishes.

Munchkin Swaddle Angel in Animal print. Rarrrr. 

(Speaking of dishes...)

10. Dishrag/rag - This is for the end of your blanket's life but yes, retired receiving blankets make for awesome dishrags and/or rag rags. (Burp cloths, too.)

Munchkin Swaddle Angel blanket in "diamond" print.

Also, in our house it's your happy birthday until a sibling has a birthday so this will say "Happy Birthday, Archer" until September hence the chalkboard three weeks later...

Also, can we please talk about how cute this stuff is getting?

When Archer was a baby everything had blue elephants on it, and, like, primary colored airplanes. Now all the baby things double as boho chic sarongs. Which brings us to #11... Beach Cover-up?

Munchkin is giving away a set of their entire collection of Angel Baby goodies (receiving blankets, burp cloths and these super cute swaddle blankets - color scheme of your choice.) To win? Tell me how you reuse (Macgyver) your baby items. (Or, if you don't have a baby, you can just tell me something interesting, that works too.) I'll pick one winner (at random) next Wednesday, June 19th.

In the meantime, you can shop Munchkin's Angel Baby collection at Babies R Us locations nationwide. Good luck and love ferns for all.

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UPDATED: Congrats to commenter, Elisa (Who has been contacted via email and has a three week old at home! Hooray!) and thank you all so much for your comments!

GGC